The Code of the Sith
by Xarkun
Summary: The Empire has fallen. Soon after a new Sith Lord assumes power. This is a story about the training of two Sith Apprentices. A realistic, visceral, gruesome exploration of what it takes to become a Sith and if redemption is possible.
1. Nameless

_**BE WARNED: The content of this fic deals with TORTURE. It is FULLY M Rated and this is not an exaggeration. If this doesn't sound appealing to you, turn away now.**_

_**I originally published this fanfic on my Sith Master2019 account. However, I haven taken it down from there and put it up here because I wanted to see if it would garner more attention. Someone reviewed it and asked me to please continue with it. Depending on how much attention it receives now that it's up on my main, Xarkun profile, I will consider taking it on as a side project to my curret fic, Harry Potter and the Darkest Vindications.**_

**The Code of the Sith**

_by Xarkun and an Anonymous Writer_

_Chapter 1: Nameless_

Lady Sera watched the girl through the view screen for a long moment before entering the cell. The girl was 15 years old, according to her parents. Parents, a funny title bestowed upon those two who had willingly given their daughter up to the Empire, and who were now resting comfortably in secure apartments that had been furnished for them. Sera smiled. It pleased her to see loyalty to her Emperor, almost as much as disloyalty to him filled her with hatred.

Really, Xarkun had sacrificed so much to ensure the stability and tranquil state of the Galaxy. A lowly crime lord, presiding over a syndicate of Hutts and pirates, Xarkun had taken control of the Remnants of Darth Sidious' old Empire and toppled the Republic and Luke Skywalker's Jedi Order. The last remnants were being hunted down. This girl would become one of the elite.

For now, however, the girl in the cell was not as loyal to the Emperor as her parents had been. Lady Sera could feel the girl's anger at her parents' betrayal of her, not realizing that what they had done would result in her becoming stronger than she could ever dream. It was no matter. Anger was a good start, even if it was misplaced. Xarkun had taught his apprentice that much.

Lady Sera walked into the cell, locking her eyes on the girl and never taking them off as she entered. The girl had been deprived of food and water for at least two days, and was definitely showing the effects.

Her name was Nadia, and she was hungry, and thirsty, and her head felt as though it was constantly being beat with a sledge hammer. Her skin was clammy, and she knew she was dehydrated. She looked up at the woman who entered. The woman was draped all in black, and not much older than Nadia herself.

Who was she? She seemed vaguely familiar. Nadia remembered when her parents watched the HoloNet news, she'd seen the face of the Emperor Xarkun many times, she thought he looked cruel, but she also remembered seeing the face of this girl too…. What was her name? Lady Sera. Yes. It was Lady Sera, the Emperor's apprentice. Perhaps if she told Lady Sera she'd seen some of her exploits (which would be a complete lie) and respected them, she'd get some food and water, and maybe be allowed to talk to her friends.

A wave of anger towards her parents made her feel incensed when she glanced at Lady Sera. The feeling came on with no warning, and it was intense. How dare her parents hand her over to the Empire! It was a vile government, run by a vile man who killed for sport!

Lady Sera smiled sweetly as she felt the effects of her Force Persuasion working.

"I know you," Nadia said. "You're Lady Sera."

Her stomach growled audibly. Nadia needed to kiss up fast and get a meal.

Lady Sera raised an eyebrow. Seeing to it that the door closed securely behind her, she walked over to where the girl was sitting, and sat on the floor across from her. She smiled. "That's right. And, what is your name?" she asked.

"My name?" asked Nadia, a little confused. This Lady who deprived her of food and water wanted to know her name? That almost seemed a bit polite; a bit overly formal for the situation. Well, maybe if she humored Lady Sera, she'd get something.

"My name is Nadia."

Suddenly, it felt as though a fist had clenched around Nadia's stomach, which was already hurting from hunger. She held her stomach, gasping at the pain. The muscles felt as though they were clenched around cold blades of metal.

"I'm sorry, that's not the correct answer. Tell me again, what is your name?" Lady Sera asked coolly, not even getting up as the girl squirmed on the ground before her.

"My name is Nadia!" the girl bit back firmly. What was going on? She answered the question. Why was Sera doing this to her? It hurt. It hurt like nothing had ever hurt her before. Desperately, she wished for it to stop.

The pain in her stomach increased, and soon the girl was screaming at the pain, curled up on the floor. Lady Sera merely shook her head, and scooted up next to the girl, stroking her black hair just like her mother used to when she had a bad dream.

"No, my dear. That is not your name. Your parents told you that was your name, so they'd have something to call you, but it isn't really your name. Right now, your name is nothing," she said to the girl, who was now crying uncontrollably, her head in Lady Sera's lap. "You must be strong, or you will remain nothing, forever," she cooed softly to the girl. "Peace is a lie, there is only passion," she recited, but was interrupted by the girl's cries.

"Why are you doing this?" Nadia cried. "What have I done wrong?" She was still unable to move, and her head was still in Lady Sera's lap. Her chest heaved with her sobbing, as her stomach burned with pain. The blades were on fire, and they were slicing into the flesh.

Lady Sera gently wiped the tears from the girl's face. "You are here, because you are special," she said softly, and the girl whimpered at the pain in her stomach. "Your parents knew you were special, that's why they brought you to Lord Xarkun. They are good people... they are loyal to our Emperor. For their loyalty, they have been rewarded. They live comfortably in an apartment in a higher level of the Palace, in the same building we are now in. They have everything they could ever need... food, water, a comfortable bed, holovision, even an indoor spa. They rest and eat and laugh with each other, knowing that their daughter will one day do great things in service to the Emperor. You see? They want you to be here, to learn to be strong. Don't you want to be strong?"

"No they don't! If they knew what you were doing to me they'd never leave me here! You're killing me Lady Sera, you're insane!" Nadia sobbed as she lay on the floor. "I bet if Emperor Xarkun knew you were doing this, he'd kill you, or fire you right away. You're a bad person."

Lady Sera simply sighed tolerantly, like a parent with a child who is having a temper tantrum, even though both the torturer and the victim were the same age. "Do you want to see your parents? If you are good, and learn your lessons, you will be reunited with them. But, do you really think they would be proud of you, acting like this?" she asked disdainfully. The pain in the girl's stomach increased and she screamed. Her muscles now were clenched so tightly around the fiery blades, it felt as if they would tear on their own accord.

"As for Emperor Xarkun," Lady Sera continued in a soothing voice, "he is my Master. Not only did he train me, nothing goes on in his Palace without him knowing about it. Nothing. He knows you are here, he knows that you suffer. He has ordered me to train you, to make you strong, to make you powerful. And, if you will not be trained... he has ordered me to destroy you," she said ominously, her words punctuated by a tightening around the girl's throat that crushed against the trachea and burned like the blades. Nadia gasped for breath for a moment, her eyes wide with the knowledge that she could very easily die right here. Lady Sera released her, leaving her only with the searing pain in her stomach. The girl gulped in air before she spoke again.

Tears streamed down the Nadia's face. "I want out! Just let me go!" she begged. Begging was her only way out… it was the only thing she could do. She didn't care if Lady Sera thought it made her weak.

Lady Sera sighed. "I can do nothing with such a weak, whiney little girl. Come on, then, we will get you something to drink," she said, and Lady Sera stood up, dragging the girl to her feet, then led her out of her cell and down the corridor.

Nadia sighed as the constricting pain in her stomach faded away.

As they walked, the air got moister, and more putrid. Once Nadia figured out where they were going, she stopped, turned on her heel, and bolted the other way, trying to escape. In her weakened condition, she did not get far, however, as Lady Sera quickly caught up with her and slammed the girl up against the wall. Nadia fought to escape from the Sith Lady's grasp, but could not move. Using the Force to hold her against the wall, Lady Sera calmly drew a small knife from her belt, and slowly traced the symbol of the Empire into the girl's right cheek as she screamed. "You belong to the Empire. Let no one tell you otherwise. You belong to Emperor Xarkun... you are his property. There is no escape. He can see you, wherever you are. He will know, he will find you... just like he found you this time," she said, and then licked the oozing blood from the girl's face, causing the wound to burn like fire. In what seemed like an instant, the girl was inside a cage, the door was closed, and the cage was lowered into the sewer. "You can stay there until you learn better manners," Sera said dismissively, and began to walk away.

Nadia tried as hard as she could to keep her head away from the dirty water. She tried once to wash away the blood dripping down her face, but contact with the filthy water made it sear with pain. So she was forced to sit there and bleed. She cried for a long time, and once fell asleep, but awoke promptly when her face exploded in pain. What if the cut was infected? What if she got sick? Would Sera leave her to fight it, would she die? Anything would be better than this… and the space below the water where there was no air began to look friendly. What if she did it? What if she drowned herself… but she couldn't, she knew she couldn't, not now. She had to try and escape quickly, and get away from Sera. So she sat there, tears streaming down her face and into her cut which burned even more, but she couldn't help it, she tried to ignore it, she had to wait.

Lord Xarkun sat in his throne, watching the image of the soon to be nameless little girl, nearly submerged in the filth of the sewers. He could sense her thoughts, and how small plans began to form in her mind of escape, plans that would do her no good whatsoever. Still... she'd make a wonderful candidate, oh yes, there was something special about this one…. The Sith Lord pressed a long, chalk white finger to a crimson switch on his chair, and a hologram of Lady Sera sprang up.

"This… Nadia is a promising candidate, she has the plotting mind. Already she is scheming for an escape. Break her, double your efforts, see to it that she becomes the most elite of Jedi hunters possible, turn her into my right hand Force Wraith, Lady Sera."

Lady Sera bowed. "Yes, my Master," she replied, and the hologram switched off.

Lady Sera smiled to herself as she deactivated the holographic imager on her wrist. Indeed, the girl had great potential. She had an iron will, and would prove to be quite a challenge to break. That, of course, would make her all the more loyal to the Emperor once she was finally broken. This girl would truly be a formidable foe, and a plague upon the Jedi. Sera would see to it personally.


	2. Lessons

_Chapter 2: Lessons_

Lady Sera watched as the girl screamed, trying desperately to escape her restraints. Nadia was bound to a metal rack against the wall, with her wrists, ankles, and neck secured tightly in metal clamps. The clamp around her neck was so tight that she had to work to breath. It made her voice sound choked when she spoke... but then, that could have just been from all the screaming.

Lady Sera walked up to the girl, and gently stroked her cheek, where the wound she had inflicted a week before had not yet fully healed. She smiled at the girl. "There is now no deception between us, my dear, no more lies, no telling me what I want to hear to get what you want. You know what I want from you, and what I am willing to give you in return. I will accept no less than your complete obedience, your complete loyalty to your Emperor, your complete willingness to learn the lessons I will teach you. In return, I will give you back control of your actions, and teach you how to harness a power greater than any you could imagine," she said, and smiled at the girl, who continued to struggle. The girl had told her before that she was ready to train, but Sera had known it was a lie from the beginning, and this was the result of it.

"When I get out of here, I will kill you!" the girl spat at her, and Lady Sera smiled.

"Your anger will make you powerful, but it is misplaced. I am only trying to help you harness your potential," she said, and opened her hand. A six-inch long needle floated into it. She positioned it over the large muscle in the girl's right thigh. "Soon, you will be able to do this yourself," she said, then stabbed the needle in, digging it deep into the muscle; eliciting a scream from the girl. Lady Sera shook her head at such a display. "You should save your screams for things that actually hurt," she admonished, and found a new location for the next needle, below the armpit. Once the needle broke the skin, the girl was screaming incessantly. Another needle, the girl was crying now as the spot on her shirt where the needle had gone in began to turn red, until blood nearly soaked the part of her shirt that covered Nadia's left breast.

Lady Sera was patient. She waited until the girl's screams became sobs, and gently moved locks of black hair from the girl's sweat-covered face. "That's it... embrace the pain. Let it become a part of you. Let it give you strength," she said, softly.

"Now, how about another?"

And another needle was driven into the girl's palm. Her screams were pealing. Sera waited, gently stroking Nadia's hair until her screams died down again.

The girl scowled, swallowing hard. "I hate you," she said venomously.

Lady Sera continued to stroke the girl's hair affectionately. "That's okay, my dear... your hatred will make you stronger. You will see. Through passion you gain strength," she said, and another needle floated into her hand. "Would you like to pick where I put the next one?" she asked.

It was many days before Lady Sera released her from the restraints. In that time, a great many horrors had befallen Nadia.

The needles first. Sera had plunged them deep into the muscles of her arms, legs, and abdomen. One day she coated them with an acidic substance, and they burned as though a torch had been shoved into the wounds they created. She'd been beaten, too, first with a metal rod, then with Sera's fists, and then with a small stick wrapped in coarse sand paper. Nadia had been burned, first with a hot poker, then with the grease from a frying pan. She'd been electrocuted; jumper cables latched in to the insides of her mouths and the outsides of her cheeks. Lady Sera had implemented her signature torture has well and cut small strips of Nadia's skin from the bottoms of her feet. Her feet were still healing. In that time, she had discovered a new definition of the word pain, and she knew one thing... she did not want to go through that again. Every time the girl's foot hit the filthy floor of her various prisons, it felt as though nails had been forced through the skin there.

She had come to realize that escape was impossible. Lady Sera was always watching her, even when she was gone... she knew this, because she always walked in just as the girl woke up, even when she didn't open her eyes right away. The girl hadn't actually eaten or drunk anything since her "training" in this place. She had come to the conclusion that her stomach was injected with nutrients while she was unconscious. She had yet to starve or thirst to death, and there were needle punctures on her abdomen, though she was never punctured there with Lady Sera's needles when she was awake. Her throat was still dry, and stuck together painfully every time she swallowed. Her stomach still churned in hunger, but she knew she wouldn't be allowed to die here... although, at this point, that wasn't really a comfort to her.

She thought a lot about her parents. Lady Sera was always certain to mention how happy her parents were, and once even allowed her to see a holovid of them, snuggled up next to each other in their nice, clean apartment, eating and drinking and laughing. It made her sick. She knew the one she should hate was Lady Sera, but her parents... she wondered again if they really knew she was down here, if they knew what she was going through while they enjoyed themselves. She wondered if they could imagine what it felt like to have your muscles pierced by acid coated needles, or have your legs burned with the end of a hot poker. She wondered if they cared about what Sera was doing; if they even asked about her. Those thoughts always brought stinging tears to her eyes that ran down her dirty cheeks and stung in the cuts Sera had inflicted; drawn in the shape of the Imperial insignia.

Lady Sera told Nadia she should be glad her parents were treated well as she stroked her hair when the girl was recovering from torture. Nadia knew she _should_ be glad they were happy, but... the truth was, she was angry at them. More than angry, she... she hated them. She hated her parents. That hurt her even more than the needles.

The cell door opened once again, and Lady Sera stepped in. She smiled down at the girl who was sitting on the floor, careful not to touch the tattered bottoms of her feet to anything. She noticed how the girl flinched and stiffened at her presence. The door closed behind her, and she stepped closer to the girl. "Today we will meditate," she said, and the girl's eyes went wide. She couldn't believe her ears... were they actually going to do something that didn't involve torture?

It seemed so. Lady Sera helped the girl to the center of the room, and eased her bruised and burned legs into the correct position for meditation, gently maneuvering her shoulders and back into an upright position, and lecturing her about breathing and clearing her mind. The girl found the effects quite calming, even though she couldn't shake the feeling that there would be more to this meditation thing, more that she wouldn't like.

She was not wrong. Once her breathing had become regular, Lady Sera knelt behind her, and suddenly the girl felt cold. It wasn't her body that was cold... it was her very soul. A cold darkness engulfed her like the deep recesses of a depthless ocean. Cold. Impossible amounts of pressure, crushing down on her, breaking her spine. Ripping her skin and her flesh and grinding her bones till she was nothing. She was alone, more lonely than she had ever been, alone in the crushing black. She felt exposed, and suddenly she realized... the cold darkness was Lady Sera, Lady Sera was in her mind! Quickly she tried to resist, but she didn't know how, and the more she fought, the more engulfed in darkness she became, until she thought she would suffocate in it. It tore at her lungs; sealed shut her mouth and nose. She heard Lady Sera's mind whisper to her.

'_Let the darkness in, become one with it,_' the voice said.

_'No! I won't be what you want me to be!'_ came Nadia's heated reply.

She felt Lady Sera pick her brains. It was painful, like small needles digging just under her scalp. Finally, Sera found was she was looking for: Nadia' plans for escape. Sera glanced over them and then laughed. Suddenly, visions of herself attempting to put each plan into action filled Nadia's mind, and each time the attempt failed. Very quickly, she came to realize her plans were foolish. The Palace was much more heavily guarded than she had realized... and the powers of Lady Sera, as well as those of Emperor Xarkun, were more far-reaching than she could ever have dreamed.

_'Your hatred for your Emperor is misplaced,'_ the voice said, and Nadia saw a vision of what Lady Sera expected for her, what she expected her to be able to do. She had to admit... she liked the idea of being able to do the things Lady Sera could do. Part of her wanted to be powerful, wanted to learn about the Force. She felt weak now; exposed, naked, and defenseless. Desperately, she craved strength. That part of her was nurtured by Lady Sera; encouraged to grow.

Suddenly, Nadia's thoughts turned to her parents, and she felt guilty about how she had hated her parents for putting her through this. But, this part of her was also nurtured by Lady Sera.

_'Your anger makes you stronger, gives you focus. Use it,'_ the voice in her head lectured. The girl thought about that for a moment. Could her anger really give her power? And, if it could, did she really want to be angry with her parents? Visions of them laughing and relaxing while she was routinely beaten and tortured ignited her anger once again, and at the coaxing of Lady Sera, she let that anger fill her, flooding her with energy, with power. She could sense things around her... the cell, the rooms outside of it, a dark presence emanating from elsewhere in the Palace, and... and, she wasn't sure, but she thought she could sense her parents. A mental nod from Lady Sera confirmed her suspicions.

Suddenly, the anger within her became palpable, stronger. Blacker. It filled her, the blackness did, and it seeped into every part of her. It was cold and hot at the same time, and it felt... good. Invigorating. She could feel the power so strongly, she could taste it.

And, suddenly, it was gone, and Nadia was back in the room, sitting in the middle of the floor. Lady Sera was no longer in her mind, she was behind her. Realization of what had just happened hit her, and her eyes went wide. Lady Sera bent forward, and whispered in the girl's ear. "Did you like that taste of power? That is only a fraction of what you will be capable of once you finish your training," she said, and stroked the girl's hair. "That is, if you are finished whining and making foolish escape attempts," she admonished.

The girl blinked, and then scowled. "I still hate you," she replied, her voice filled with residual anger.

Lady Sera smiled dreamily. "I know. I approve of your hatred for me, dear... it gives you strength, strength you will need to undergo the training," she said, circling the girl so that she was in front of her. Her smile turned to a mischievous grin. "So, will you learn from me?" she asked. Her face fell. "Or do I have to try harder?"

The girl's mind was a ball of confusion. She had liked what she felt... and, she knew Lady Sera could teach her how to do the things she had seen herself doing in the vision. She hated Lady Sera more than anything, even though, in the back of her mind, she knew Lady Sera was really trying to make her powerful. She frowned. "Why didn't you show me this at first?" she demanded. "Why did you torture me?"

Lady Sera raised an eyebrow. "Torture? That wasn't torture, my dear... it was just the first part of the training. Make no mistake... your pain will not end once we go to the next part of your training. In fact, it will become much worse. Only through intolerable pain will you gain strength and stamina better than those of the underlings unworthy. The pain will feel crippling, perhaps; unbearable. But, I will teach you how to harness that pain. How to make it your strength. How to keep your control in any situation, how to inflict that pain on others, others who deserve it. How to use that pain... that strength... to defeat the Jedi," she said, watching the girl closely to gauge her reaction. Her Master had told her to feel the girl out on the subject of the Jedi, and to make sure that, whatever the girl's feelings were now, that they were turned to hatred before she was finished with her.

She needed not worry. The girl scowled upon hearing the word. Her parents had been loyal to the Emperor, and had a low opinion of the Jedi. They had apparently passed this opinion on to their daughter. She smiled then, a feral grin. "I'll get to fight the Jedi?" she asked, hope in her voice, although she was still very nervous about what Lady Sera had said about there being more pain involved.

"Of course," Lady Sera replied, relishing the sheer hatred the girl already had for the Jedi.

"I'll do it," the girl replied, casting away her earlier doubts. She wanted it. All of it. She wanted the power she had tasted, she wanted the freedom, the special training... the ability to fight and kill Jedi, though she did not look forward to more pain. She remembered what she'd been taught in school at a young age, and what her parents had always told her. Lord Xarkun was a wonderful, peace-loving man who wanted nothing but the best for the Galaxy's people. The Jedi were vile, spineless thugs who wanted power for themselves. They opposed Xarkun and did terrible things to people, much worse than Lady Sera was doing to her. They raped, they murdered, they extorted, and they stole. But there was one other thing...

"I just have one question," Nadia said, stopping Lady Sera, who had made to get up. Lady Sera raised an eyebrow. "My parents... when you said I could see them... I mean..." she trailed off, not sure how to ask the question now that she had voiced it. Was it really what she wanted?

Lady Sera searched her mind a moment, and then smiled. "When you feel you're ready, you may see them. I'll bring them down here to see you. And, when you see them..." she trailed off, grinning at the suppressed wish she had sensed within her student. "You may deal with them as you wish," Sera informed Nadia, and stood up. She held out her hand to the girl, ready for more, and ready to coax the girl's wishes into something more palpable. "Come. The pain in your feet will be nothing compared to what is to come, my dear... but, I promise you, the rewards will be great."

The girl swallowed hard, but fought down her fear of the pain as she took the woman's hand, and allowed her to help her to her feet. She felt ominous about Lady Sera saying 'you may deal with them as you wish.' What could that possibly have meant? Was Lady Sera suggesting that she may want to hurt her parents for putting her into this… horrible, yet beneficial situation? True she was angry, but she couldn't let it go that far, her parents were very loyal to the Empire… Nadia inhaled sharply as Sera readied herself to begin the lesson.

The girl grasped the handle of the training saber, trying not to cry out at the electrical current that coursed through her body from her contact with it. She was not allowed to scream, to cry, to show any sign of discomfort as she fought with the pain-inducing instrument.

Once again, she glanced at the number burned into the back of her right hand: 066-047. She had burned it there herself, at Lady Sera's command. It was her new name. She didn't ever think about her old one anymore... meditation with Lady Sera was more like brainwashing. Her number was imbedded in her psyche. Whenever she was permitted to sleep, she sometimes would wake up to find herself chanting her number. The name she used to use was gone, buried somewhere in her subconscious, like a memory she could almost recall, but not quite. She remembered that forgetting it was an unpleasant experience, and did not wish to dredge it up again.

047 activated the thick red blade of the training saber, and Lady Sera did likewise. Lady Sera swung first, and 047 blocked it with her own blade, the impact sending a greater electrical charge through her body. Involuntarily, she cried out. She soon regretted it.

She doubled over in pain as her stomach cramped. It felt like she had swallowed hot lead. "Stop screaming!" Lady Sera commanded, and 047 realized the high-pitched screams in her ears had been coming from her own throat. With great effort, she swallowed her screams and stood upright. The pain in her stomach stopped. In an instant, Lady Sera's blade came toward her, and she blocked it again. This time, 047 did not cry out.


	3. Velia

_Chapter 3: Velia_

047 followed Lady Sera in silence down a dark, muggy, and grimy hallway lined with plain, greasy, oily black doors that led into small cells with grated floors and a hole for a toilet. 047 knew, for she'd been in one for the better part of three, maybe even four months. She followed Lady Sera quietly, ignoring the pain she felt in her arms from numerous, grueling lightsaber training sessions. She hardly noticed the stinging in her shredded feet anymore.

The Sith Lady kept at a brisk pace for several minutes before finally stopping at the very last door to the left. She turned to face 047 and smiled sweetly, the girl had grown accustomed to that smile; it was very creepy coupled with the insanity Sera often displayed….

"Yes?" 047 asked respectfully.

"Today you will face one of your most… interesting challenges," Sera said evenly.

"Which is?"

"Now, dear, if I told you, I'm afraid the surprise factor and fun would be taken away."

"Is the challenge in this cell?"

"It is," Sera said. "You may want these."

The Sith Lady pulled from beneath her robes a plain, black pouch, held together by a silver button. The girl took it from her mentor's hands and examined it.

"What's this?"

"Your creative instruments."

"What?" 047 asked, utterly confused as she opened the pouch. Inside, lined up in separate sleeves, arranged in height, were several sharp needles, the kind which Sera had used on her before… would she be required to torture someone?

"It will all become clear very soon," said Sera sweetly as she pressed a button on a panel next to the cell door. It shot open instantly. The girl glanced inside, only to see her parents; both looked slightly confused.

"What's this?" 047 asked, ignoring a wave of anger that hit her full force at the sight of the two occupants. She was not even entirely sure why she felt that surge of hatred. Sera just smiled broadly, half because this girl was so very close to being broken, half because she barely needed to use Force Persuasion anymore; just a small spark for the tinder which ignited the blaze.

"Enjoy," Sera said simply, half shoving the girl into the cell unexpectedly. "I'll leave you three alone."

The girl looked back as her mentor disappeared behind the black door. She then turned to her parents.

"Nadia!" Her mother cried. "It's so good to see you, dear."

"My name is not Nadia anymore." 047 snapped icily, taken aback that her mother would still lie to her, even now.

"Yes it is. You've always been Nadia…" her father said, confusion evident in his voice, coupled with apprehension.

"My name is 066-047 you lying bastard!" the girl screamed, her anger rising to boiling point. How dare they refuse to acknowledge her by her true identity! They were the ones who put her through all the grueling torture and training in the first place! Liars! They called her Nadia only because they thought she was weak! It was their fault she'd been tortured to the brink of death nearly every day for the past four months; maybe even the past year!

"Nadia, calm down, you're-"her mother began before being cut off.

"SHUT UP! My name is not Nadia! My name is NOT Nadia!" 047 screamed, as though the name itself was physically harming her.

"What have they done to her?" her mother cried in terror.

"Nadia?" her father asked rather loudly. "Nadia Derevko, do you hear me, what's happened-"

"Liars!" 047 roared. "You know what's happened! You put me here! You wanted this!"

"Please, Nadia," her father begged, "calm down. Tell us what's happened."

047 took a deep breath to cease the quivering of the rage. She smiled then. It was a feral smile, like Lady Sera.

"I'll show you."

The middle aged man gasped as a long, thick needle was thrust into his neck, he gagged and cried out, his tongue falling from his mouth as he screamed. Another needle flew right through it, this one shorter, pinning it outside, into his cheek. He backed away as her mother shrieked in fear, blood dripped onto the already dirty floor.

"I told you," 047 hissed, "not-to-call-me-Nadia!"

Her father let out a gasp as he fell to the floor. His eyes rolled into his skull as he took one last breath….

"You!" her mother shouted, she smacked her daughter hard across the cheek. "What have you DONE! Your father— my-my husband! How could you!"

"It had to be done," 047 stated coldly, her mother's hand flew for her face again. She reached out and caught it with inhuman speed, brought on by the Force which she was nearly done learning how to control.

"Unhand me! You are no longer any daughter of mine!" the woman bellowed as tears streamed down her cheeks. Three needles pulled themselves out of their sleeves from the pouch, which now lay on the floor. They floated up, as though suspended by invisible strings, and angled themselves at the sobbing mother.

"Nadia! STOP IT N-"

The three needles shot forward, and dug themselves into the woman's skin, one through the nose, one through the neck, and finally one through the temple. The girl's mother fell down, dead and bleeding, landing right next to her father.

047 had passed her greatest test.

When 047 left the room, Lady Sera was standing outside, waiting for her. She silently handed the Sith the pouch, missing a few needles, calmly and coolly, as though she had not just killed her parents. Lady Sera leveled a gaze at her. "047," she said, and the girl looked up. "Three people died in that room," she told her student. "Two of them were your parents. The other was a young girl by the name of Nadia. Tell me... does even a trace of her still exist?" she asked, probing the Force Wraith's mind.

047 met her gaze head-on. "No. She does not exist," the Force Wraith replied.

"Who are you?" Lady Sera prodded.

"I am 066-047," 047 answered.

Lady Sera smiled. "Yes, you are," she stated, stroking the girl's right cheek, with the scar on it. "You have done well."

Three weeks after her final test, 066-047 had been sent on her first assignment.

It had been successful, and she had returned early in the day. Lady Sera met her outside of a cell, much like the one the Force Wraith had first arrived in. The door was open, and a little boy was in there, crying loudly, but Sera could feel the sheer power emanating from the boy. She smiled, and turned her smile to the Force Wraith beside her. "Very well done, 047. Tell me, you did capture his parents, also?"

The Force Wraith nodded, locks of black hair nearly hiding the Imperial symbol-shaped scar on her cheek, but not quite. "They are in separate cells. They were acting as spies for the Freedom Alliance," she remarked.

047 scowled. The Freedom Alliance was made up of the Remnants of the Old Republic. Jedi laced the Alliance's rankings like poison. Lord Xarkun had not failed to annihilate them all. 047 had felt the presence of Luke Skywalker himself upon the planet where she'd taken the little boy.

Lady Sera's smile turned into a grin. "Good. Perhaps I can get some information out of them before I put them to another use," she replied ominously. "I have been told you fought and defeated a Jedi," she said. 047 simply nodded, but the hint of a smile on her lips told Sera she had thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Sera glanced once again at the dark-haired boy, and then turned back to the Force Wraith. "Come, Emperor Xarkun wishes to see you," she said. Sera shut the boy's cell door and the two girls walked to the throne room.

The silence between them was a mix of hatred and grudging respect... the Force Wraith had become quite powerful and efficient, thanks to Lady Sera's training, but she still had an undying hatred for the Sith Lady. Strangely enough, Lady Sera fostered this hatred in her, telling her it would make her powerful, and in truth, it did. She did not seem to mind that the anger was aimed at her, only that it wasn't aimed at Emperor Xarkun. In return, Lady Sera showed affection and pride in her student, always talking in that sickeningly sweet way, which only made 047 even more angry. In retrospect, the Force Wraith wondered if that was the point.

When they entered the throne room, both the Sith Lady and the Force Wraith bowed before the Emperor, until he gestured for them to rise.

This was the first time 047 had ever seen the man in person. Emperor Xarkun was a tall, skeletally thin man with a bald head, chalk-white skin, and black holes for eyes.

"Ah," Lord Xarkun said quietly. "You are this exceptional Force Wraith protégée I've been told so much about. I've observed you myself."

"You-"047 began in surprise, cutting herself off. She had been taken aback by the Emperor's abruptness.

Xarkun ignored it. "I would not be so confident in you, enough to allow you to come before me just on Lady Sera's word, no matter how accurate it may be. No. I observed a very large amount of your training. You'll make a most promising Force Wraith. You will be the first of many."

"I-I… thank you, my Emperor."

"What is your name?" Xarkun asked. He was smiling now.

"What?"

"Your name," he repeated coldly.

"066-047."

"No," the Emperor stated simply.

"No?"

"Are you hard on hearing? I said no."

"But… then what is my name?"

"You're are very promising… a most powerful Force Wraith, indeed. Thus, I do not think you should be known by a number. You need a title; you're too exceptional to be called 047," Xarkun said.

"A title? Like Lady Sera?"

"No. The title of Darth is bestowed upon Sith. You are not a Sith. No, you shall be known, for this point onward, as Velia. It is likely you will command my army of Force Wraiths."

"Thank you my lord," said Velia, bowing. She relished her title. It made her feel important; gave her more power.

"Leave now, Velia, wait outside this throne room for Lady Sera. I sense she wishes to speak with me."

"Very well," said Velia unquestioningly. She promptly left the throne room and Xarkun turned to his apprentice.

"You've done well."

"Thank you Master," Sera said, her eyes lowered. "The boy Velia brought is strong in the Force, very strong. Stronger than I am." She gazed off into the distance. "My days are short, Master. If it pleases you, I would like to train this boy, not as a Force Wraith... but as a Sith. An apprentice to leave you when I die," she said, and turned her eyes back to her Master. "His training would not interfere with the training of the Force Wraiths," she added.

"A pity that there is no cure for you 'condition'." Xarkun remarked, not sadly, but… still he felt the loss, like losing a very useful tool, one that might not be replaced. Lady Sera was a creation; a scientific creation from the mind of a mad man named Dr. Malk. Her blood was saturated with a type of bacteria that rendered all her organs entirely useless. She needn't breath, and she couldn't be poisoned. The bacteria, however, was slowly eating away at Sera's brain. It would kill her eventually.

"I've seen this boy," said Xarkun. "I sense his potential. I believe Luke Skywalker must be very disappointed he did not reach the young boy before I did. I need an apprentice in your stead, Lady Sera. Train him, begin immediately, forge him into a great Sith Lord, more powerful than you, more powerful than Magus or his pawn Duo, forge him into the kind of protégée that will one day equal me."

Sera bowed. "As you wish, my Master," she said, and left.

Outside of the throne room, Velia was waiting for her. Lady Sera smiled at her. "Congratulations, Velia. Perhaps it is time to have you assist me in training the other Force Wraiths," she said, as they walked down the corridor. "It will benefit you for them to see you as their commander," she explained. "Besides, your battle with the Jedi is proof of your proficiency with the lightsaber... who better for them to learn these skills from?"

Velia eyed her skeptically. "There's something you're not telling me," she said, then amended, "milady."

Lady Sera smiled. "Your insight serves you well. It is little wonder why Emperor Xarkun handpicked you out of all of his Force Wraith candidates. You are correct... I will soon begin a project having to do with that little boy you brought me. Tell me... have you found training under me difficult?" she asked the girl. She regretted doing this, but knew she had to head off Velia's feelings of jealousy at not becoming a Sith.

Velia scowled. "Difficult? That's an understatement," she said icily.

Suddenly, Velia stopped, as images more horrifying than anything she had ever imagined filled her head. Just as quickly, the images faded, and Velia was holding her sides, gasping for air. Lady Sera's fingertips traced her spine. Velia stood up suddenly, disturbed any time the Sith Lady touched her. "That was one of my memories," Sera said, vacantly. Her eyes came back to meet Velia's. "The boy's training will be far more... difficult... than yours was. He will have my memories... his mind will be like my mind," she explained to Velia, who had suddenly gone much paler. "Do you truly wish such a fate for yourself?" Sera asked quietly.

Velia shook her head slowly. She wanted power, but not at the cost of the madness she sensed from Lady Sera. And she certainly did not like the sound of training more difficult than what she had already been through.

Lady Sera smiled, and the chill suddenly left the corridor. "Good. When you are here at the Palace, you will assist me in showing the other Force Wraiths what you have been taught with the training sabers. You will still continue to train with me, of course, but, aside from further practice, your skills are almost complete," she said, as they continued to walk down the corridor.


	4. Beginning Again

_Chapter 4: Beginning Again_

The boy cried in the corner of the cell. He wanted his Mommy and Daddy. Why weren't they there? He didn't understand why they had left him alone. He was cold and hungry and thirsty and had been left in this freezing, dark cell for what seemed like forever. Why were they being mean to him? He was only six! Was he bad enough to go to jail?

The doors opened then, and a woman stepped in. She was young, and had short brown hair that covered her face and wore black and red robes. When she looked at him, the boy felt even colder, like something dark had crawled up inside him. Her eyes were yellow.

"What's the matter?" the woman asked sweetly, but the boy had a feeling she probably wasn't very nice. He blinked.

"I'm thirsty," he said, sullenly, "and cold. Where's my Mommy?" he asked plaintively.

The woman sighed and walked over to him as the door closed behind her. He backed up closer to the wall, and she paused, as though to show that she wouldn't harm him, then came closer slowly. When she was directly in front of him, she stooped down closer to eye level, and wiped the tears from his face. "Your mother was bad, little one," she said softly, smiling sympathetically at the boy's wide eyes. "She tried to hide you from your Emperor, tried to make you weak," she said, and stroked the boy's face. "But you're okay, now. You're with me, and I'll make you stronger," she said.

The boy was confused. "Why would Mommy make me weak?" he asked. The woman shook her head.

"I don't know why anyone would do something like that to such a strong little boy like you," she said, and smiled. "You do want to be strong, don't you?" she asked him.

The boy nodded. His Daddy was strong, and he wanted to grow up to be just like his Daddy. "Can I get some water?" he asked.

The woman laughed lightly, stroking the boy's hair. "Thirst is maddening, isn't it? You know exactly what you need, yet you can't get it. You spend your time dreaming about water, thinking, if you could just get one drop, the madness would be over, you'd be able to think again. On Tatooine, water is worth more credits than some jewels. But you're from Naboo, aren't you?" she asked him. The boy nodded. "What's your name?" she asked.

The boy answered, "Thomas," he said.

The woman's face fell, and she shook her head. "That's not right. That's not your name. I'm sorry," she said, and took him by the hand. "Come on... let's get you something to drink," she said.

The boy was more confused than ever. His name was Thomas, it really was. He would have insisted this to the woman, but she was taking him to where he could get a drink.

The further down the corridor went, the worse the smell got. He could hear water, dripping from the walls from the moisture, but knew it wasn't good water. It was the sewer. Was this where she was taking him? Soon they got to an opening, a dark room that seemed to have no end, whose floor descended into a deep pool of putrid water. Realization dawned on the boy, and he looked back at the woman.

Her eyes were almost kind as she lifted him up and put him inside a cage. He knew it was a cage only when she closed the door to it. It wasn't wide enough for him to sit down, he had to stand up. She pushed a button on the wall, and the cage started to lower down into the stinky water. The boy started to cry. He shrieked as the water level inside the cage went higher and higher, afraid he would drown.

The cage descended until the water was up to his chin, and then it stopped. His tear-filled eyes met hers, and she smiled down at him. "There, I brought you something to drink. Now, what do you say?" she asked, much like his Mommy did when she gave him a cookie.

The boy screamed. "Let me out! I want my Mommy! Let me out!"

The woman sighed, shaking her head sadly. "It wasn't very nice of your Mommy to make you so impolite. You're not a very nice little boy," she said.

The boy scowled. "You're a mean lady! You're not nice at all! Mommy's a lot nicer than you!" he shouted at her.

The woman sighed and turned around, walking away. "Wait! Don't leave me here! Please! I want my Mommy!" the boy shouted, but she continued to walk, until he could see her no more.


	5. Eyes

_Chapter 5: Eyes_

It was a long time before she came back. The boy was hungry... he wasn't thirsty any more. That bothered him. He had drunk some of the nasty water, eventually. He was sleepy. He could barely keep his eyes open. He had to sleep by leaning against the cage, but he never slept for more than a few minutes at a time, because once or twice his head had sunk below the water level, and he almost drowned. He had tried every possible way to get out of the cage, but it was no use. Either someone would come for him, or he would starve to death... it was that simple.

He had thought over and over about what had happened, about why she had locked him up in this cage. She said his Mommy and Daddy were bad, that they tried to hide him from the Emperor. He knew his family was hiding... Daddy had told him more than once to be careful, so no one would find them. But they told him the people they were hiding from were bad men, not the Emperor.

And his name. That's when she had gotten upset, when he said his name was Thomas. Well, it was, wasn't it? Unless... unless his Mommy and Daddy had lied about that... No! Mommy and Daddy don't lie! But... if they hadn't done anything bad, then he wondered why they were being punished.

When the lady came back, he was silent. He didn't want the lady to get mad and leave him in there for longer. He did his best not to cry.

The lady smiled at him. "Now, then, that's a lot better. Would you like something to eat?" she asked him.

The boy nodded, then amended, "Y-yes, please," so that she wouldn't be mad at him being rude again.

The lady nodded, and soon the boy heard a familiar voice. The men in white armor came in then, bringing his mother, who was screaming. When he saw her, the boy cried out to her, and soon the two were struggling to be together.

The lady paid the scene no heed. Once his Mommy had been made to kneel down before the lady, she pulled out a knife.

The boy had never seen anyone die before, but knew that knife was dangerous. He screamed. "No, please, don't kill my Mommy, I love her! Please, no! She'll be good, I'll tell her to be good, I promise!" he screamed.

The lady fixed him with a look, and then turned back to his Mommy. "Your son is hungry," she said, dragging the tip of the knife down the woman's cheek, wet with tears. She followed the trail of tears back up to the woman's right eye, the point of the knife resting on the tear duct.

The woman didn't blink... instead, she looked straight at the lady. "Please... Lady Sera, please... just don't hurt my son..." she said, begging. Tears ran down the knife, down the handle, onto Lady Sera's hand.

Lady Sera watched them, and then turned her eyes back to the mother's. "Your son is hungry. A good mother would feed her son," she said. Then, she began to press harder with the knife.

As Lady Sera dug the woman's eyeball out of its socket, her screams mingled with her son's. The Sith Lady relished the feel of the knife digging beneath or organ; severing the bundle of nerves connecting it with the brain. Once the deed was done, she pulled out the eyeball, severing the rest of the nerve endings with the knife, and held it in her now blood-covered hand.

She turned to the boy. "Here we are... it's time to eat," she said to him, and the boy looked at her with horror-filled eyes. He was crying openly now, shaking his head. "Come, now, your mother sacrificed one of her own eyes so you could eat, the least you could do is eat it," she said, admonishing him once again for bad behavior.

The boy caught his breath and looked to his mother, who was now sobbing, with blood running down her face. He looked back at Lady Sera, then at the bloody thing in her hand. "It's okay, it tastes like candy," Lady Sera said. Her expression darkened. "Would you like the other one instead?" she asked, and the boy shook his head emphatically. Reaching out, he slowly took the bloody orb from the woman's outstretched hand, and, his eyes never leaving hers, put it into his mouth.

It was disgusting, but he had been starved for so long, it almost tasted sweet to him. The texture almost made him puke. It was like grit-filled jelly. He tried not to think about what it was he was eating, but choked it down, horrified with himself at the thought that he wished he could have more...

"That's a good boy," Lady Sera said, smiling. "Would you like some more?" she asked, but the boy shook his head, panicking.

"N-no. No, th-thank you," he stammered, desperately hoping he wouldn't anger Lady Sera.

She nodded. "Are you thirsty anymore?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "N-no, thank you," he said.

She smiled, and lifted her hand. The cage rose up out of the water all on its own. When it had, she opened the door to the cage, and the boy got out, his limbs stiff. She held his hand and nodded at the stormtroopers, who took the woman away, screaming. The boy pressed his lips together to keep himself from calling out to her. He couldn't keep the tears from streaming down his face, however, and when Lady Sera saw them, she sighed. "Now, now, no cause for tears. Your mother is a bad person, and she deserves to be punished. Just like you do," she said quietly, and the boy looked up, startled. She smiled down at him. "Don't worry, it won't last long. You're going to be strong when you finish your training," she went on, as though she had not even mentioned punishment.

The boy sobbed. "W-what did I do?" he whined. He didn't want his eyes to be cut out...

Lady Sera grimaced; the boy could see her face as they moved towards a lighter part of the corridor. They were moving upward. "You haven't exactly been on your best behavior," she said. She wiped his tears away. "Look, you're still crying, even though I've done nothing but take care of you. Besides, you almost didn't eat the eye your mother sacrificed to feed you. That was very rude. I'm sure your mother would have liked to keep the eye," she said, shaking her head sadly. They stopped at a door, and the door opened before them.


	6. Unearned

_Chapter 6: Unearned_

This room was white. The walls, floor, and ceiling were white. There was a table in the room, and on the table were a bunch of needles, each about six inches long. The boy stopped... what would she do to him?

Lady Sera grasped him by the shoulders and pushed him forward, until he was standing in front of the table. She moved one hand to stroke his hair. "Now, you're going to be a good boy and stay still, aren't you? Or do I have to use the Force to keep you still?" she asked him.

The boy didn't know what the Force was, but the moment she picked up a needle, he moved away from her. Suddenly, he was brought back to her, by an unseen hand, and he couldn't move. He began to whimper. Raising an eyebrow, she removed his cold, wet tunic, so that the bare skin on his back and chest met the cold air of the white room. He cried. She smiled at him, holding up the needle. "I want you to understand that this is because you were bad today," she said, and, taking the needle, she inserted it into the muscle of his right arm.

He screamed. The needle hurt, and she wasn't taking it out. His muscle screamed in pain, but he couldn't move it. He could see the needle sticking out of it. Soon the pain abated to a low burn, and he looked back at Lady Sera. "I'm sorry. Please take it out, I'm sorry," he said, but she shook her head at him.

"It's not that easy, young one. You need to learn your lesson. Besides, this will make you stronger... through strength, you gain power," she said, and picked up another needle.

"No! Please! No! Please!" he begged, as she stuck the next one in, not far from the first. He screamed, the pain of the first needle blending with the pain of the second. He was bawling now, still unable to move, unable to form words because of the pain.

Lady Sera stroked his hair as he screamed. "Now, now, you're being so childish about this," she said softly, picking up another needle. "Tell me, little one, what is your name?" she asked, almost absently, as she switched to his other side and stuck the needle into his other arm. The boy screamed.

When Lady Sera had finished with him, he was hoarse from screaming so much, and he had needles sticking out of his arms, back, chest, and the backs of his legs. Tears streamed down his face, and mingled with the small drops of blood that had trickled down to the white floor. He still couldn't move. His eyes went to Lady Sera's as she smiled down at him. "There, now, that wasn't so bad, was it? You need to stay still, now... I'm going to let you move, but if you do move, the needles won't feel very good," she said. True to her word, she released her hold on him with the Force, and he felt his muscles settle... and instantly he screamed. He wasn't even trying to move, his muscles were moving on their own! It felt like every needle was being stuck in all over again. He begged her, he didn't know what she did, but he begged her to undo it.

She shook her head softly. "You must embrace the pain, young one. Pain gives you strength. It lets you know you're still alive. Now, you never answered me before... what is your name, young one?" she asked.

The boy cried. "Thomas," he said.

Lady Sera shook her head. "That's not right, young one. You know that's not right. Now, stop lying to me, and tell me your name."

"B-but, that's my name, that's what my Mommy calls me..." the boy sobbed, doing his best to stand as still as possible. It felt like he was in so much pain, he was going to die.

Lady Sera sighed. "Your Mommy's a liar," she said in her sweet, soft voice. "She wanted to make you weak, remember? She hid you from the Emperor. She told you lies to make you weak. That's not your name. What is your name?" she asked him again.

The boy sniffed. "If that's not my name, then I don't know," he said. He just wanted the pain to stop. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I don't know my name. Please, please make it stop..." he cried.

Lady Sera stroked the boy's hair. "The answer is, you don't have a name, young one. You see, names are something you earn. You haven't earned yours, yet. But, if you're a good boy, and do as you're told, then maybe you will earn one. Do you understand?" she asked.

Tears continued to run down the boy's pain-wracked face. "Y-yes," he said, having a hard time swallowing.

"Yes, Master," she corrected him.

He blinked. "Yes Master," he said. "Please... please, Master? Please make it stop..." he begged her, but she simply patted his head and turned away.

"You stay there and think about what you did," she said, and left him alone in the room.


	7. Poetry

_Chapter 7: Poetry_

Days and days went by, the boy didn't know how many, but every now and then Lady Sera would return, sometimes to take out the needles, sometimes to put more in, always talking to him, always giving him a new lesson in manners. He rested sporadically, he didn't know how long he was allowed to sleep, but would always pass out the moment the needles were removed. He was tired, he hurt, but he had learned the hard way not to complain. He had learned that, before he died of hunger or thirst, Lady Sera would always bring him what he needed. She would recite a poem to him... at least, he thought it was a poem. She had him repeat it, over and over, whenever he was awake. He started hearing it in his sleep...

_Peace is a lie, there is only passion.  
Through passion, I gain strength.  
Through strength, I gain power.  
Through power, I gain victory.  
Through victory, my chains are broken.  
The Force shall free me._

He said it over and over... when he would stop for anything except for drinking or eating, she would make him put the needles into his own flesh... he hated doing that. If he did it right, it hurt. If he did it wrong, it hurt a lot worse, and he had to re-do it. And the whole time, he'd have to say it. It was comforting, in a way... it helped him take his mind off the pain. He didn't understand the words, but he couldn't ask, because he was just supposed to say the poem.

He was still saying it when Lady Sera brought him to another room. It had a table, too, but it was a bigger table. On that table lay his mother, one eye missing, though the wound had been cleaned and treated. She was quiet until she saw him with her good eye... then she went hysterical, crying and screaming at him, begging Lady Sera to let him go.

The boy just said the poem.

His mother screamed, and Lady Sera had him stand at the head of the table where his mother's head was. She placed his hands over her forehead, telling him to hold her head down so she didn't accidentally bang it against the table. He held her head still, all the while reciting the poem.

Lady Sera began to slice through some of his mother's skin.

His mother's head was hard to hold down. Once, some of the restraints slipped, and his mother bolted upright in pain, hitting the bottom of his jaw with her head. He had been reciting the poem. His teeth bit through his tongue. Lady Sera was very angry, and his mother was slammed back onto the table by her power, the restraints being put back on her. In an instant, Lady Sera was by his side, commanding him to open his mouth, which he did.

Blood poured out into her hand, along with half of his tongue, and a few of his teeth.

A man had walked into the room, then... the boy wasn't sure if he had been called. He used a device to clamp down on what was left of his tongue, which made him drool blood everywhere, but made most of the bleeding stop. He placed a patch on the stub, removed the clamp, and, after speaking a moment to Lady Sera, left.

Lady Sera scowled at his mother. "Do you see what you did? To your own son? Why? Why would you do such a thing?" she asked the woman.

His mother sobbed. "I'm sorry. Oh, my baby, I'm so sorry... please, let him go, I'll do anything!"

Lady Sera sighed. "Where would he go, hmm? Any Force-sensitive who isn't in the employ of Lord Xarkun is executed. Do you want your son to die? I'm not surprised... you kept him hidden from the Emperor, made him think he was weak all those years... and now, you want to keep him from learning how to use his power. And you call yourself his mother..." she said, and gestured for the boy to take his place once again at his mother's head.

This time he held her head down much, much harder. He recited the poem in his head as he watched as Lady Sera explained everything she did, as she slowly cut his mother to pieces.


	8. Nightmares

_Chapter 8: Nightmares_

A week later, Lady Sera had stood by and watched as the boy demonstrated all he had learned on his father. His father shouted and screamed and begged like his mother had, but the boy didn't care as much. He hated his mother, and he hated his father. They had made him weak, he could see this now, and they were bad people. His mother had even hurt him; caused him to loose his tongue so he couldn't recite the poem verbally anymore. Now he had to say it in his head, and Lady Sera was always in his mind. It hurt worse than the needles to have her there. So, his parents deserved to be punished, just like he had deserved to be punished; only what they had done was worse.

They had stolen from the Emperor. They had kept him hidden away from the Empire, when they should have brought him to the government, to Lady Sera. Lady Sera was making him strong. He could already feel it. He felt... powerful.

He still made mistakes. If he cut too deep, Lady Sera would place a needle in his arm, so that he had to do his work in pain. But he was used to the pain by now. His father wasn't... he screamed so loud, the boy almost thought it was pathetic. He couldn't wait for him to shut up, but knew better than to rush his death... if he did, he would be punished, and he did not want to be punished. So, he was patient, he took his time. He found he had a... knack... for telling what hurt more. It took his father a lot longer to die than it had taken his mother. When he finally had, the boy felt... free, somehow... he looked up to Lady Sera and smiled.

Lady Sera smiled back, amused by how little Force Persuasion it took to set the child on the right path. She'd done better by him than Velia. "That was very well done, young one. You're a fast learner. I was right about you... one day you will make a fine Sith. But, for right now... I believe you have earned a name," she said, stroking his hair, looking into his dark eyes. "Shadow. From now on, your name is Shadow," she said, and patted the boy on the head. She was very pleased with him... he had about three needles in his arm, yet showed not the slightest hint of pain. She pulled each one out, noticing how he barely flinched. "Tomorrow we'll begin the next phase in your training, Shadow. Go get plenty of rest... you won't have much more of that for a while."

Shadow smiled and bowed, then ran back to the cell that he slept in.

Lord Xarkun's face turned to his apprentice as she entered his throne room. She ascended the steps to the platform which supported his throne. He stood before it, and she bowed to him, her lips nearly touching the hem of his black robe.

"Rise, Lady Sera," he commanded.

She did so and looked at him. "You summoned me?"

"Yes. I've been observing the training of this young boy, Shadow. You've chosen impeccably, Lady Sera. He will make the most excellent of replacements in your stead." Xarkun smiled. "I can sense something wonderful. Luke Skywalker. You wouldn't believe it. I can hardly fathom it myself, really. I can sense him, though he is all the way across the Galaxy. I can sense his pain. Do you know why, Lady Sera?"

"No."

"Because Luke Skywalker is not the hopeless bigot Jedi we make him out to be. He's got a shred of intelligence, and he's sickeningly empathetic. Shadow's potential is boundless, my apprentice. Boundless. It's a distinct trait. He reminds me of Luke Skywalker, and his father, Darth Vader. Both had impossible measures of power. My predecessor saw that, and used it to conquer. I almost wonder if young Shadow has Skywalker blood in him…. Nonetheless, I have called you here to tell you this, Lady Sera. You must break the boy fully. Skywalker may come for him in the end. Or they may meet. Velia as well…. Skywalker knows of her; has a special interest in her powers. You must ensure that they will not be turned, and that they will kill Luke Skywalker if he comes to try and claim them. I won't afford anyone failure, Lady Sera, not even you."

Sera smiled. "The young one's empathy has been broken. He will be your soon, Master. Velia cannot be turned either. You will see, Master. Besides, Luke Skywalker is lacking in something needed to sway a child or person in a direction."

"Really?"

"Yes. He's lacking in imagination."

Shadow had been training for weeks before the day came when he first learned about meditation.

"Sit down, Shadow," Lady Sera commanded, and the boy quickly did as he was told, though he wondered what was going to happen next. Most of his training, up until now, had been with him standing up, and usually involved a lot of pain. Sera sat down across from him. "I am going to teach you how to meditate," she said, smiling down at the boy. "Meditation is when you quiet your mind, and allow the Force to flow through you. It is how we will strengthen our mental bond with each other, a bond which will allow us to communicate, since you cannot speak," she explained. The boy blinked, and nodded. Lady Sera reached out a hand, and stroked his pale cheek. "When we do this, you will see things, terrible things; you may get lost. Just stay with me, let me guide you, and you will come out safely," she warned. "Close your eyes." The boy did so. "Now, open your mind... picture a dark room, with no light, nothing but the blackness," she murmured, and closed her own eyes.

Shadow could feel darkness all around him, now... cold, black darkness, and recognized Lady Sera's presence. She embraced him, engulfed him, and he felt colder than he had ever felt before; so very cold that the chill burned against his skin.

"Let the darkness fill you, Shadow... embrace it," she instructed.

Shadow did his best. He pictured the darkness like the water from the sewer he had spent so much time in. He breathed it in, drinking it up, and he could feel it coming from within him... it responded to how he felt about his parents, to how he felt about the bad people his parents were taking him to... the Jedi.

Anger filled him, and then turned to hatred, and its bitter edge tore at him inside, but he embraced it, held on to it. He could feel the pleasure of Lady Sera as she mentally embraced him, showing him that he did well. Suddenly, the blackness gave way to something else, and he could see a young girl with brown hair, completely covered in blood. Beside him, Lady Sera stood, holding his hand._'One day, Shadow, you will take my place. I will give you my memories, so that you will know what I know,'_ she said, stroking his hair.

Shadow watched, horrified, as an old man made the little girl do things, terrible things... some things he didn't understand, some things he understood too well. After a while of watching Lady Sera's memories, he knew why she had told him that eyeballs tasted like candy. And, he knew she wasn't like him; wasn't human.

In Lady Sera's mind, he could hear whispers...

Then, things turned strange. He couldn't tell what was real, and what wasn't. _'Neither can I, sometimes,'_ his Master replied to his unspoken thought. He saw Emperor Xarkun through his Master's eyes, and smiled. He had saved her from a fate worse than death... one of powerlessness, of weakness, of slavery to the Jedi. He was shocked that she had once believed herself to be one of them, and felt his Master's hatred for that particular memory. His Master's memories were all jumbled up, and he felt... disjointed, like he was coming apart at the seams. Lady Sera held his hand, and led him to another place.

He saw his Master's training under Emperor Xarkun. He... felt... the training, through her mind. He heard screaming in the distance. _'Embrace the pain,' _Lady Sera admonished him, her voice mixing with her memory of Xarkun's.

_'I'm afraid,'_ he said in his mind, backing away.

Lady Sera took his hand, and stroked his hair. _'That is why you must embrace it,'_ she replied. _'Once you do, you won't be afraid anymore.'_

Shadow locked his eyes with Lady Sera's, and nodded. Clasping her hand tightly, he stepped forward... into the strange lightning that Emperor Xarkun was shooting from his hands. Pain exploded from within him, white-hot pain, but he didn't flinch, he didn't run away... he took it within himself, made it a part of him, even though it hurt even worse, and he thought he would die. He welcomed it, holding it within him, refusing to let go of it, until he was nothing more than a white-hot blur of pain...

When he awoke, his Master was bent over him, stroking his cheek with the back of her hand. He was on the floor, and his throat hurt. It took him a while to realize that the far-away screaming that he had heard had come from him. Memories of the visions still flashed before his eyes, and he felt... different, somehow. It was as though he'd been asleep to all things before, but now he felt like he had woken up, like he knew things he hadn't known before. He could still... feel... his Master's mind, like they were...

_'Connected,'_ Lady Sera's voice spoke in his head, even though she hadn't actually said anything. His eyes went wide.

_'You can still hear me?'_ he wondered more than asked, but his Master merely smiled.

_'We can talk this way whenever we are close to each other,'_ Lady Sera thought to him. _'The stronger our bond becomes, the greater the distance can be,'_ she explained.

Shadow blinked. _'Master... can you explain the poem to me?"_ the boy asked, eliciting a smile from Lady Sera.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion," Lady Sera began aloud. "There is no such thing as everyone getting along with each other. It is our nature to fight..."

Shadow had been training under Lady Sera for quite some time before he finally got to meet Emperor Xarkun. Lady Sera had told him to be on his best behavior, and he had finally learned just what was expected of him. She had taught him how to move things with the Force, how to channel his hatred and anger. She taught him how to be aware of his surroundings at all times... he slept standing up, now, with his eyes open. He had spent long enough in an electrified cage to learn that lesson pretty quickly. He had learned how to meditate, even under extreme pain, and, even though he couldn't talk anymore, he had learned how to read the minds of prisoners being interrogated, and often accompanied Lady Sera in this task.

As they walked into the throne room, Shadow could feel the presence of the Dark Lord. It was stronger than Lady Sera's but just as dark, if not darker. It made him feel cold.

He was used to the cold.

When he neared the throne, he bowed with Lady Sera. When Xarkun had the two of them rise, he looked the boy over curiously.

"Shadow," he said simply, looking the boy over. "So much has been said about you. Lies must be filtered away. I will discover what is true here today."

Shadow was dressed in a black body glove now, with his dark hair and dark eyes a drastic contrast from his very pale skin. Shadow kept his eyes lowered.

"I hear you've become quite adept at interrogating prisoners," he said, watching the boy with dark black eyes. "Lady Sera tells me you cannot speak. Tell me, do you hate your mother for making you bite off your tongue?"

Hatred filled the boy's eyes, and he nodded.

"And, do you hate those who oppose me? Those who try to hide their children from me, those children who belong here, those children that I offer to teach the true ways of the Force to?"

Once again, the boy nodded, and Xarkun could sense the hatred emanating from him.

"And what of the Jedi? Those who would otherwise take the children to inflict upon them their narrow, dogmatic ways?" he asked. Xarkun could feel the room darken, the hatred within the boy was so strong. The boy nodded slowly, the look in his eyes almost able to peel flesh.

Xarkun smiled. "Good, your hatred will make you powerful." He turned to Lady Sera. "He is acceptable, continue his training. You've done well," he said, then dismissed the two with a wave of his hand.

They bowed before they left. As they walked down the corridor, Lady Sera laid her hand on the boy's shoulder. "Soon it will be time to build your lightsaber," she told him. She stroked his cheek. "For now I will teach you something I think you would be good at," she said, and led him into a room where a prisoner was strapped to a table, shouting obscenities at whoever would listen. "Close your eyes, Shadow, and follow my mind with yours. We will show this poor, misguided rebel the true meaning of fear," she said, and began teaching him how to weave nightmares of the most horrifying kind.


	9. Younglings

_Chapter 9: Younglings_

Shadow walked out of the cell, a 13-year-old, dark-haired boy in a black body glove, whose face was spattered with blood and whose hands were covered with it. The man in the cell, a Senator turned spy, was still alive, and would stay that way until Shadow was finished with him. However, the boy had discovered a valuable piece of information, and the rebel had slipped into unconsciousness, so Shadow was now on his way to report to his Master.

On his way to where his Master was, he passed one room, where he could see Velia training some of the Force Wraiths in lightsaber combat. He liked Velia. She had been the one who rescued him from his traitor parents years ago, and brought him back to the Empire, and to his Master, where he had learned to harness the dark power within him. He smiled and watched for a moment as the younger Force Wraiths fought each other with their training sabers, lightsabers specially made for training Force Wraiths. They emitted an electrical current whenever they were held, which got stronger whenever the blade of the saber hit anything. Unlike lightsabers, the training sabers had a very unfocused beam, so that, if they hit you, you only suffered third-degree burns, instead of getting sliced in half. His Master had trained him with the training sabers before he had been allowed to make a real one. Sometimes he dueled with Velia when she wasn't busy. Velia was older and stronger, and made a powerful opponent, but Shadow was stronger in the Force, so they were pretty much even. He learned a lot from sparring with her.

One girl got hit in the face with a training saber, and Shadow could smell her burning flesh before the blade was drawn back. The girl cried out. Soon, the new burn on her face was met by the back of Velia's hand as she back-slapped her. The girl bit her lip to keep from crying out again. Blood trickled from it, she had bitten so hard, but she remained silent. "Begin again," Velia told them, and the initiates resumed their battle.

Shadow continued to walk down the corridor, wondering in the back of his mind why the Force Wraiths were trained easier than he had been.

_'Because you are destined for greater things,'_ a voice said in his head. It was the voice of his Master, Lady Sera. She awaited him at the end of the corridor.

Shadow smiled at the sight of his Master, and ran the rest of the way, stopping to bow his head before her. _'I learned something from the rebel's mind,' _he thought to her along their bond.

Lady Sera smiled down at her apprentice, and ruffled his hair, so that he looked up. "And what did you find, my apprentice?" she asked him.

Shadow blinked up at her, smiling his cold, pale smile. _'His daughter is a Jedi youngling. She is being trained on the forest moon of Endor, by a Jedi named Logargh,'_ he replied.

Lady Sera's eyes went wide. "This is very important information, my apprentice," she said, smiling down at him. "How did you pry it out of him?" she wondered.

Shadow grinned. _'He thought I was his daughter,'_ he replied, taking the hand of his Master as they walked, who didn't mind the blood that was covering her apprentice's hands_. 'He wanted to know why I wasn't with Knight Logargh, and if I could help him find his insides,'_ he continued, eliciting a laugh from Lady Sera as they made their way to the throne room.

When they arrived, they bowed before the Emperor before he gestured for them to rise. Three others were there already. Shadow didn't know who they were, but two were men, and one was a girl not much older than him. They all were strong in the Force, one of the men more than the other two.

"My Master, Shadow has uncovered information as to the whereabouts of one of the Jedi training camps," Lady Sera began, her eyes lowered reverently. "A Jedi named Logargh is training younglings on the forest moon of Endor," she explained. She suppressed a grimace. She remembered Logargh... the female Wookiee had evaded her grasp once before, on the planet Kashyyyk. Now Sera hoped she would have the chance to capture the animal once and for all. There was a lovely coat she planned to make out of her fur...

"How interesting," Xarkun remarked evenly, as though this were a minor bit of trivia. "A Jedi training younglings… ingenious, really… I assume this Logargh had been hiding her youngling's presences; there are undoubtedly more Jedi around the galaxy in league with her. I believe it is safe to assume they have constructed a mobile Jedi Temple… perhaps there are other training facilities for Padawans? Very interesting, capture the Jedi Logargh, kill the younglings if they cannot be turned to our cause, leave their bodies strewn across the forest… it is time to decrease the number of Jedi."

"Yes, my Master," Lady Sera replied, bowing. Then she turned to her apprentice. "Remain here with Emperor Xarkun, Shadow," she told him. "Be constantly vigilant. Learn all that you can while in his presence," she instructed, and cocked her head as she listened to something no one else could hear. "And stay away from the siren, Shadow. Notes can be deadlier than knives. Remember where your loyalties lie," she told him, and turned and left.

Shadow blinked. He did not always understand his Master, but knew that the things he did not already understand, he would come to understand in time. He turned his big dark eyes on Emperor Xarkun.

"Come, Shadow, stand beside me, at my feet," he commanded the boy, and Shadow quickly stood where he indicated. "Watch attentively, Shadow. You will likely learn many things Lady Sera cannot teach you."

_**A/N: Okay. There might be more to come. The Anonymous Writer did write a huge amount of this a year or so ago; I've touched it up. The following chapters will be done entirely by my design. Put this on your alerts and send a couple reviews my way….**_


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